All That Glitters is Gold

Golden City

• Location:  39 Putnam Pike, Johnston, RI 02919-2055


• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese cuisine 


• Offers: Take-out


• Signature Dish: General Tso’s Chicken, Boneless Spare Ribs, Teriyaki Beef, Chicken Finger


• Year of establishment: 2000


• Phone: 401-688-7998

In Golden City the stars of the show begin Act One with the glittering appetizers of Pan Fried Dumplings to Chicken Fingers or Fried Rice and work their way towards the main entrees, who stand center stage – General Tso's Chicken, Teriyaki Beef and Boneless Spare Ribs. Even if the whole country is entranced with the performances of General Tso's Chicken, even when it's SRO (standing room only) at Golden City take-out, General Tso's still delivers the best bang for the buck continually entertaining the crowds. Its stellar performance and sold out comebacks are proof that it is not retiring any time soon.

The deep fried chicken bites are mixed with a combo of sauces. However, whether this dish is tasty or not depends on how the chefs deal with it, as tiny details matter. A thinner breading may be healthier and the quality of ingredients makes a world of difference. The chefs at Golden City use the so-called super cornstarch a high quality item. Adding a dash of this cornstarch is enough to make the dish a best-selling item. Also it's seasoned with a special sauce that incorporates sugar, scallion, ginger, vinegar and dried chili flakes. The dish fuses three tastes – sweet, sour and spicy together. A dash of sesame oil complements the dish by giving a lightly nutty flavor.

Don't Miss Out

The menu also features a lengthy string of items, sidekicks and extras notwithstanding. The special combinations premiered at lunch and dinner are frequently ordered. This mix is for family members, as the package contains appetizers, entrées, soups, fried rice and drinks which would surely suit every family member’s needs. The choice is multiple, ranging from pan fried dumplings, chicken fingers to an entrée, like General Tso’s Chicken, Broccoli Beef and other alternatives. In addition, these combinations can be customized according to the customers’ desires. The dinner special is reasonably priced at $8.99 and contains beef stickers, fried rice, chicken fingers and boneless spare ribs.

Here at Golden City, as in Chinese traditional cooking, stir-frying, deep-frying and sautéing are the main preparation techniques. Steaming, boiling and poaching are more applicable for people who crave something healthy. They prefer and order foods using those cooking techniques.

Mr. Zhang, the owner of this establishment tells ARN about how his chefs use their bountiful ingredients. A host of spices, sauces and cooking methods characterize Chinese cuisine. In this way it is quite the opposite of say, Japanese cooking which is raw (for a large part) and concentrates less on sauce. French cuisine is the corollary to Chinese. The chefs at Golden City use the freshest ingredients available, including high quality beef, pork, seafood and seasonal vegetables. The condiments contain soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, ginger and dried chili flakes that enhance the flavor. Nowadays, gastronomes turn to certain natural flavorings to scent dishes.

By monitoring the sourcing channel, Mr. Zhang and his staff regularly outsource the ingredients from different distribution companies. They check the quality constantly and consistently to make sure there are no rotten apples in the bunch, so to speak. Furthermore they stock only what they need. Daily record keeping is a must according to Mr. Zhang in order to regulate costs. It also helps to compare inconsistencies in cost according to season, categories of products and amounts ordered. In that way future mistakes are avoided. The kitchen is well kept and managed according to health and sanitation bureau standards. Besides, storage is done correctly; all the foods are stacked according to their type, perishables in one place with longer lasting produce or meats in another. The kitchen is a model of cleanliness as it's open. This by its very nature demands attention by the staff to keep it magnificent.

Repeat Performance

Service at this take-away is basically narrowed down to three areas: answering the phone, placing orders and packaging. Although it is easy to deal with, the staff all do it with full intent making sure the orders are prepared correctly so there are no complaints. As the staff are self-disciplined, management becomes a relatively easy task. Mr. Zhang adds, “I rely on the staff to do routine jobs: cleaning the table, floor, kitchen equipment and fulfill the orders. Luckily, they are cooperative.”

Special Features

With nearly nine years of operational know-how, this take-out eatery has developed and improved its dishes and service. The owner watched children grow into adulthood and he witnessed the changes around the area. It has become a more pleasant environment to live in, with more convenient transportation and a more colorful life. The customers have grown to know the restaurant and owner well so when they want to have Chinese take-out, Golden City comes to mind. People living out of town do drive 30 minutes to place an order here, says the owner.

Why would someone drive that distance, we wanted to know?

Mr. Zhang shared, “Each restaurant has their own characteristics; we just try our best to serve the customers as much as we can in the way they want. As a take-out eatery, speedy service is what we try to wow customers with. Orders are prepared within 10 minutes. When there are many orders to handle, we manage it with high efficiency. The cooks have more than 10 years’ experience and their adept skills guarantees speedy service.”

About Mr. Zhang

When he came to the USA and went to Rhode Island he had no choice but to enter the restaurant business: first as busboy, then chef, then owner. He dedicated his heart and soul to doing the best he could. That meant, even in tough times, keeping abreast of what customers' likes and dislikes were, studying cookbooks and listening to customer's to find out about trends and habits. It wasn't always a piece of cake according to Mr. Zhang. Furthermore, in the current economy they've been able, more or less to stay afloat. The restaurant suffered but they found the solution to the issue at hand. They had rarely done promotion; they only sampled some copies of their menu within Johnston, North Providence and Smithfield. Since they couldn’t afford offering a big price cut they gave away some dishes for free. One such promo was a $2 off for $15 or more, a free order of 5 boiled or fried dumplings or $ 3 off with any order above $20. Another was when a customer ordered one entrée, such as General Tso’s Chicken, they would get that free with orders above $25. This worked and pleased Mr. Zhang. He's going to stay on that track, at least for a little while longer.

Photos by John Davis